Bobbin stripper



Oct. 13, 1942.

E; H. VQWLES 2,298,603

BOBBIN STRIPPER Filed Jan. 12, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet l firdercr Oct. 13, 1942. EH. VOWLES 7 BOBBIN STRIPPER Filed Jan. 12, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 2 E. H. VowLEs 2,298,603

BOBBIN STRIPPE'R Filed Jan. 12, 1942 4 Sheets-Shet s E. H. vowLES BOBBIN STRIPPER Filed Jan. 12, 1942 4 She ets-Sheet 4 Patented Oct. 13, 1942 BOBBIN STRIPPER Ernest H. VOWlfeS, Eitchburg, as'signor to Brown Engine & Macliihe company, Fitchbuig,

Mass.

Application January 12, 1912, Serial No. l26,436 7 Claims. (01. 28*2-0) This invention relates to a machine for stripping waste from bobbins which have been ejected from automatic weft-replenishing looms, after substantial but incomplete exhaustion of weft thereon. A machine for this general purpose is shown in my prior Patent. No. 1,473,265 and cer tain features therein shown areincorporated in the machine disclosed inthis application.

It is the general object of my present invention to improve the machine shown in my prior patent in numerous and important respects.- Such improvements include the provision of improved conveying means to feed bobbins to the machine and to advance them continuously to the stripping jaws, the provision of improved and simplified pusher slides for forcing the bobbins through the stripper jaws, the provision of an improved construction of stripper jaw, and theprovision of improved pneumatic means for removing the stripped yarn or waste from the machine.

My invention furtherrelates to arrangements and combinations of parts whichwill be herein-- after described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved machine, with an upper frame extension shown section and with certain parts broken away; 7

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation, taken alon the irregular line 2-2- in Fig. 1;-

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the feeding conveyor, partially broken away;

Fig. 4 is a partial side elevation, partly in s e'c-- tion and looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3; r

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view, taken along the line 55 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a partial side elevation, partly in section and showing certain features of the con-- veyor drive;

Fig. 7 is a partial side elevation of one of the simplified pusher slides; V

Fig. 8 is a partial front view of the slide and pusher, looking in the direction of the arrow 8 in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a partial sectional plan view, taken along the line 9-9 in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation, partlyin section and showing the function of the stripper jaws;

Fig. 11 is a partial plan view of a pairof stripper jaws, looking in the direction of thearrow II in Fig. 10;

1 jaws with respect to the bobbin-conveying means;

' and Fig. 14 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the bobbin conveyor chain and attachedparts.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, myimproved bobbin stripper comprises a frame F providing a horizontal bearing 20 for the main driving shaft 2| and also providing a support 22 for the lower end of a; fixed upright shaft 23,. The upper end of the shaft 2-3 Supported in fixed position in an upper frame extension or bracket F. I

A- camcylinder 25 ismounted on the shaft 23 and is fixed to thes-haft, so that it is held from all movement, either vertical or angular; The cam cylinder 2,5is provided with cam grooves 26and2=1 in its cylindricalsurface and also with cam grooves, and 29 in its lower end surface, the use of which cam grooves will be hereinafter described.

. The devices by which; the waste is stripped from the bobbins my improved machine are mounted on a frame-work or head H (Figs. 1 and2), centered on the shaft 23 but freely rotatable relative thereto. A ring gear 30; (Fig. 2) is -mounte'd'on. the lower end of the head H and is engaged by. a pinion 3| which is connected through a. short: shaft 32 and bevel gear 33 to a bevel gear-r34 on the inner end of the main driving shaft 2|, which shaft may be continuously rotated by a bel t35 on a pulley 36 or in any other convenient manner. The weight of the head H and attached parts is carried by a thrust bearing 38- which rests on the upper face of the support 22 in which the lower end of the fixed shaft 23 iss'ecured.

j The head H- is previdedwitha plurality of upright g u'idewa-ys 40 (Fig. 1) in which slides 4| are vertically slidable; Eachslide is provided with a cam roll" 4? (Fig.- 2) which is received in the groove 21in the fixedcam cylinder 25, thus reciprocating leach,slide M as the head is rotated.

Each'slide- 4'! has: a pusher 44 (Figs. 7 to 9) formed at the lower end of the slide and adapted to engage the upper end of a bobbin and to push the" bobbin downward through the stripping jaws during the first part of the bobbin stripping operation.

It will be noted that the pusher's 44 are always inalignment with the stripping jaws and that Fig. 12 is an enlargedside elevation of one of it unnecessary to remove the pushers from My improved conveyor comprises a conveyor a chain 50 (Fig. 14) to which are attached a series of sheet metal bobbin receivers 5| and a series'of spacing blocks 52, preferably of wood. The conveyor chain 59 is mounted on-sprockets 54 (Fig. 6) and 55 (Fig. 4) which sprockets are'carried on shafts 5B and 51, rotatably supportedat opposite ends of the conveyor frame 50 (Figs. 4 and 5);

The shaft 55 is extended downward, as indicated" in Fig. 6, through a fixed bearing 62 and is provided with a sprocket 63 at its lower end, connected by a chain 64 to a driving-sprocket 65 (Fig. 2) The sprocket 65 is mounted at the lower end of a-short shaft 66, rotatable in a fixed hearing 61 and having a pinion 68 at its upper endwhich is in continuous engagement with the ring gear 39. Through these connections, the conveyor chain and the parts mounted thereon are continuously advanced inthe direction of the arrow a (Fig. 3) as the stripping head is continuously rotated. The bobbin-receiving members 5| onthe chain are so spaced that a bobbin is advanced to stripping position each time one of the slides 4| and its associated parts is advanced to coacting position. 7

Any lost-motion or slackness in the conveyor chain 50 may be taken up by an adjusting screw 69 (Fig. 3) which is mounted in a movable sliding member"! and abuts a lug H in the frame 90. The sliding member 10 provides upper and lower bearings for the shaft 51 on which the outer sprocket 55 is mounted.

The open outer ends of the bobbin-receiving members 5| are normally closed by side plates 12 and 13 and by a curved endplate 14 (Fig. 3). At the inner end of the conveyor adjacent the stripping mechanism, a fixed top guide plate 11 (Fig. 1) and a yieldable .top guide plate 18 (Fig. 3) are mounted on the conveyor frame or. on parts as-i sociated therewith. The guide plates Hand 18. coact to provide a guide slot Bilalong which the, advancing bobbin is guided into the path of move.- ment of the stripping devices. The slot 89 there-, after assists in moving the bobbins out of the, conveyor members 5| and in radially positioning the bobbins for seizure by the stripper jaws. The free end of the cover plate 18 is sufficiently resilient to yield outwardly or toward the axis he stripping mechanism as the bobbin is advanced in an.anti-clockwisedirection as viewed in Fig. l.

Upright plates .82 (Figs. 1 and 2) are mounted; on the guideways .49 at the rear or; following side of each pusher 44 and assist in holding the bobbinsupright as they are removed from the conveyor members and before they are operatively engaged by the pushers 44.

I Upper and lower stripping jaws 99 and 9| (Fig. are provided at the lower end of each guide way 40, a pair of jaws 99 and a pair of jaws 9 I, be ing provided for each stripping unit and the jaws of each pair having meshing segmental teeth, as indicated at 92 in Fig. 11.

Suitable actuating mechanism is provided for opening the jaws-90 and 91 'asiridicated in Fig.13. as they approach position for receiving a bobbin from the feeding conveyor, and for closing the jaws on the bobbin as the jaws and bobbin are moved onward for the stripping operation. The mechanism for thus opening and closing the jaws 90 and 9| is disclosed only in part herein, as it forms no part of my present invention and may be as shown in detail in Fig. 5 of my prior patent.

For the purpose of this application, it is sufficient to state that the jaws are opened and closed by rolls 94 and 95 (Fig. 2) as said rolls are acted upon by the cam grooves 28 and 29 in the lower end of the fixed cam cylinder 25. The springs 96 shown in Fig. 2 permit the jaws to yield slightly when gripping a bobbin, thus permitting slight variations in bobbin diameter without detriment to the stripping operations.

While the general outline and operation of the stripping jaws 90 and 9| is substantially as disclosed in my prior patent, the specific construction of the bobbin-engaging members of the jaws is much improved, both in operation and also in case and economy of manufacture.

These jaw members I00, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, each comprise a semicircular plate |9| having a semi-circular hub I92 depending therefrom and provided with segmental screw threads I03 on its inner and bobbin-engaging face. A coacting pair of these jaw members may be con veniently formed by threading a complete circular unit and thereafter cutting the unit apart along one diameter, as indicated at I94 in Fig. 11. Segmental helical ridges are easily formed in this manner and such ridges are found well adapted to loosen and remove waste from a bobbin. I'he inner faces of the jaw members I90 may be hardened and otherwise treated to increase their wearing qualities.

In the operation of the machine, the bobbins B, after being enclosed by the stripping jaws 99 and 9|, are pushed downward by the associated pusher 44 on the associated slide 4|, thus stripping the waste on the bobbin from near the butt of the bobbin toward the tip thereof. As the bobbin is thus forced downward, the butt of the 5' bobbin is passed between a pair of spring-actuated latches ||0 (Fig. 10) mounted on arms secured to the lower ends of upright bars 2 slidably mounted in the guideways and each provided with a roll 4 (Fig. 2) traveling in the lower cam groove 26 in the cylindrical side wall of the cam cylinder 25. The arms are thus moved successively downward to pull the bobbins entirely through the stripping jaws and 9| and to thus complete the stripping operation.

The latches ||9 do not grip the bobbins, however, so that as soon as a bobbin is free of the stripping jaws it may drop downward out of the stripping mechanism. This point in the proceedings is reached after each bobbin has made ap- -proximately a half revolution from the feeding point and while the bobbin is alongside the enlarged open end of a pneumatic casing 129 having an exhaust fan |2|. associated therewith.

This exhaust apparatus re'ceives'the waste yarn as it is freed from the bobbins and delivers the same through a discharge opening I22 suitable receptacle, notshown.

' Having described theconstruction and operato any tion of my improved bobbin stripping machine,

the bobbins B have a continuous horizontal move-- ment, first in the feeding conveyor-and second inthe stripping jaws. Continuous and satisfactory operation of the machine is thus made possible.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a bobbin stripper, a continuously rotated stripping mechanism, a continuously actuated feeding conveyor, and means to transfer a bobbin from said conveyor to said stripping mechanism and to move said bobbin continuously forward during such transfer.

2. In a bobbin stripper, a continuously rotated stripping mechanism, a continuously actuated feeding conveyor, said conveyor and said mechanism being operated in a fixed speed relation, and means to transfer a bobbin from said conveyor to said mechanism and to continue the forward movement of said bobbin in the same general direction during such transfer.

3. In a bobbin stripper, a continuously rotated stripping mechanism, a continuously actuated feeding conveyor, and means to transfer a bobbin from said conveyor to said stripping mechanism, said bobbin being given a single continuous forward movement and at uniform speed by said conveyor, said transfer means and said stripping mechanism.

4. In a bobbin stripper, means to feed a bobbin horizontally to stripping position, means to move said bobbin in a circular path about a fixed vertical axis during the stripping operation, and additional means to move the bobbin downward as it is advanced in its circular path, thereby stripping the waste therefrom.

5. In a bobbin stripper, a pair of stripping jaws, a slide vertically reciprocated above said jaws, and a pusher fixed on said slide and reciprocated therewith and having no transverse displacement relative thereto, and said pusher being effective to engage a bobbin gripped between said jaws and to push said bobbin downward, thereby stripping the waste therefrom.

6. In a bobbin stripper having bobbin-stripping mechanism continuously rotated about a fixed vertical axis, that improvement which comprises a conveyor chain mounted for movement in a substantially horizontal plane and in a closed path which is closely adjacent said stripping mechanism at one point, a plurality of bobbin-holding members mounted in spaced relation on said chain and thereby advanced successively to transfer position, means to drive said chain continuously and in fixed speed relation to the continuous rotation of the stripping mechanism, and means on said rotated stripping mechanism effective to successively remove bobbins from the bobbin-holding members on the conveyor chain and to operatively position said bobbins in said stripping mechanism.

'7. In a bobbin stripper, in combination, bobbinstripping mechanism, means to advance the bobbins and stripping mechanism in a circular path about a vertical axis during the stripping operation, and pneumatic means effective to remove from the stripping mechanism the yarn stripped from the bobbins, said latter means comprising an exhaust device and a fan-{shaped intake therefor having a widened and concave entrance end portion which is horizontally closely adjacent the locus of movement of said stripping mechanism and bobbins.

ERNEST I-I. VOWLES. 

